Prison officers staging ‘mass walkout’: Here’s what we know

Thousands of prison officers across England and Wales have been urged to stage a walk-out this morning to protest over the “unprecedented levels of violence” they face.

The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) said it was demanding the government to improve safety in jails and reduce violence.

“The unprecedented levels of violence, and failure of this government and employer to provide safe prisons has been headline news for some considerable time,” a POA spokesman said.

“The rise in violence against staff in prisons is laid firmly at the feet of government and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, who have overseen the demise of the prison service over the last eight years.”

The protests were supposed to begin at 7am, up until the officers are instructed otherwise.

However, an inside source at HMP Brixton told LondonLovesBusiness that “HMP Brixton prison officers are not going on strike as it is illegal and this prison is more aligned with the government. The protest is a strike and it is likely to be over by end of the day as the government will be successful in getting a court injunction to stop it”.